We understand that the private sector makes up close to 95% of agriculture in the region. For sustainable and longer-term change, we need to impact agriculture value chains.

Our Agricultural Development activity focuses on building private sector involvement in CSA, by piloting innovative approaches to enabling the use of holistic CSA by smallholder farmers, working primarily through private sector companies and sector trade associations.

This is done through: a) applying a market-systems approach to tackle the linked agriculture-climate risks faced by smallholder farmers and private companies, within suitable networks; and b) strengthening the links between companies and smallholder farmers, to include support for CSA, so as to offer benefits for both parties: for farmers, the strengthened links provide a pathway to climate resilience; for companies, a more sustainable value chain.

Our funds are applied to:
• Identifying suitable existing networks of farmers, on which to build;
• Designing support for each pilot project;
• Implementing each support project, using a combination of grant and supporting technical assistance, in partnership with grantees and other stakeholders.
• Monitoring and measuring accurately the results, and analysing which pilots show potential for scale up and replication.
• Providing advice and support on the scaling up, from the pilot group of farmers to other farmers in each network.
• Supporting replication of successful approaches in other locations and networks.

Vuna has a portfolio of innovative projects across the region, testing a number of different business models which have the potential to demonstrate the incentives for private sector companies and financial institutions to support the use of CSA by smallholder farmers.

Vuna is a DFID-funded regional climate smart agriculture programme, implemented by Adam Smith International. Vuna works in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe to build the climate resilience of smallholder farmers in the region